I just started teaching a lovely adult lady. She is new to riding and is paired with a good natured, safe, fat withered round backed Morgan. Actually quite a good match personality and level wise. In addition to the horse needing quite a wide saddle, this woman is unique in her shape. She is all of 5’ tall and a bit stocky with short legs. She needs a 17 1/2 or 18" seat and extra, extra short flaps. The cut of the flaps will be important - the saddles she has been testing out have had flaps that are way too forward for her (even equitation cut flaps are too forward for her or the stirrup bars are maybe). She ends up bum heavy, sitting in a chair. Getting her centered over her leg is a problem and the flaps (standard 13" I think) come down to her ankle almost. The great news is is that this woman is the most enthusiastic, kind, fun, eager learner you could ask for. She also has some means and can afford a higher end saddle - probably will need custom but …which brand might be able to make to her physical specifications? Or…does anyone have suggestions for something off the rack to try? So far, the best fit of the school saddles at the farm (and there are about 40 of them). is a wide treed plain flapped dressage saddle. The flaps are ridiculusly long of course but the saddle fits the horse and the rider can find balance with the straighter up and down flaps. This is a tricky one! Any ideas out there?
She/you might want to contact Heritage Saddlery in the UK. They are selling off in-stock saddles right now, and they can all be adjusted to wither tracings. The British saddlers understand that cob-style body shape so I’m sure could help, and there are plenty of different models. If she consults with them with both her measurements plus the horse’s, they can find something (or could make one custom). They’re very reasonably priced too.
Ugh…post is “unapproved” with the link, so just do a Google search for “Heritage Saddlery UK” :)…
She/you might want to contact Heritage Saddlery in the UK. They are selling off in-stock saddles right now, and they can all be adjusted to wither tracings. The British saddlers understand that cob-style body shape so I’m sure could help, and there are plenty of different models. If she consults with them with both her measurements plus the horse’s, they can find something (or could make one custom). They’re very reasonably priced too.
I am trying a hoop treed Thornhill AP this afternoon for the horse in my QH thread. Will report back on how that fits off the rack.
Fellow shorty here, so far all custom saddles I’ve tried were able to accommodate me physically. (Includes CWD, Voltaire, Stubben, County.) Though I am just a tad taller and in the 17-17.5 range, so it’s possible that I’m just inside the fit range.
I have known of people getting flaps cut by a saddler - not so much recently since custom is so common - but if you have someone near you, you might ask for an opinion on trimming the flap of a saddle that is otherwise a good fit.
I’m speaking from the opposite end of experience (6’ and made out of legs), also a dressage rider. So take this how you will! I’ve had a great deal of success with Schleese, as have others at my barn who have all sorts of interesting horse/rider combos. It might be worth doing a distance evaluation with them (I think they are offering them free?) to see what kind of options they would recommend. I will say I find, like I imagine reps of any brand would, to push for the bells and whistles, full custom, etc. BUT I’ve also never received lesser service when I’ve said “look, this is my budget, I’m buying used, can you tell me what features I need to look for.”
The harder part of this will likely be fitting the horse. English-made saddles are more likely to fit the cob shape you describe. Once you find the right tree for the horse you will custom order the flap needed by the rider. Black Country, for example, will literally let their fitters draw the flap their client needs, send it in with an order, and it will be made. Harry Dabbs has a straighter cut flap as one of the standard options so it might just be a matter of ordering it in the correct length.
A money-saving tip (though both these companies make gorgeous saddles for much less than certain popular French brands!): ordering the saddle as a GP with an open seat will get you the straighter flap you need at lower cost than ordering it as a straight-flapped jump saddle.
Try a working hunter saddle. They are straighter cut than an AP but have knee rolls for jumping, and very often fit wider cobby horses, being from the UK. Lovatt and Ricketts makes a cob specific one.
Black Country fit the cob types well, and they should be able to make an extra short flap. The newer devoucoux saddles sometimes fit wide types, and a 0D flap is what she would most likely want. I’m short and like the monoflap because they give a closer contact feel.
The Loxley by Bliss saddles might be worth looking at. They tend to be on the some-what affordable side, especially for the amount of customizaiton they can typically do.
Another solution, outside the box. I had a vertically challenged friend who found an endurance saddle did better for her and her horse than a true dressage saddle, so that might be another option to keep an eye on. (Black country makes a rather nice one in all black)
Thornhill was a joke for my hoop tree needing horse. It says it’s for wide horses, but I guess not this wide!
OP, Duett makes the foxhunter which has a straighter flap. I may be in the market to sell mine, it’s an 18 inch if she is interested.
another option as mentioned before is get a ‘hunter saddle’ from the UK. They are only slightly more forward than a dressage saddle.
as for the flap length, a master saddler can shave a few inches off of the length pretty easily. Depending on how the billets are, they should be able to take anywhere from 1-3 inches off. It probably won’t even cost that much.
And one other thing, if she wants a higher quality saddle, CWD does make a hoop tree option! I almost went with a custom from them but am actually picking up my new (to me) saddle tomorrow.
Shrtenmy renis - all I can say is indeed “WOW” - that is a funky set you up you have there - lol. That saddle though could be one to try. She won’t be heading out onto AA land anytime soon - especially on her round Morgan so looks won’t matter a lick. Just trying to get the balance reasonable for her. Thanks Stormy day too. I’ll p.m.you soon.
i’m similarly built and ride a wide Morgan x Welsh Cob. The Thornhill JC Berlin x-wide is our go-to.
